Government

Ralph Norman defeated Tommy Pope by the thinnest of margins in Tuesday’s 5th Congressional District GOP runoff, but the race isn’t over yet.
When the unofficial results were tallied, Norman was 203 votes ahead with a little more than 35,000 votes cast.
With all 11 counties reporting, Norman had 17,772 votes to Pope’s 17,572.

COLUMBIA – The S.C. gas-tax increase looks like a done deal, even if Gov. Henry McMaster vetoes it later this week.
The S.C. House passed a compromise plan Tuesday that raises the state’s gas tax by a total of 12 cents a gallon over six years and increases other driving fees to create long-term funding for road repairs across the state.
House Speaker Jay Lucas called the legislation the most significant infrastructure bill to pass the General Assembly in three decades.

NEWBERRY – The businessman who finished fourth in last week’s seven-candidate 5th District Republican Party primary has endorsed fellow businessman Ralph Norman in the upcoming May 16 GOP runoff.
On Monday, Chad Connelly announced his support of Norman, who faces Tommy Pope in next week’s runoff.
A former member of the S.C. House, Norman is a real estate developer from Rock Hill.
“They say nobody likes losing, but if you’re gonna lose, you ought to lose to somebody who thinks like you,” Connelly said.

Of the local issues facing Lancaster County Panhandle residents, none seem to stir passions quite like one in particular – incorporation.
With two such efforts in the works, one for Van Wyck, the other for Indian Land, and vocal opposition to the latter, District 7 Lancaster County Councilman Brian Carnes is sponsoring a forum on the issue May 9 at Transformation Church, 8978 Charlotte Highway.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the forum begins at 7 p.m. sharp.

Tuesday’s GOP primary results in the 5th District congressional race couldn’t have been much closer.
For top finishers Ralph Norman and Tommy Pope, it was a virtual stalemate. Each got 30 percent of the vote, with Pope ending up 118 votes ahead of Norman in the unofficial results to set up the May 16 runoff.
The key to victory is going to be a fast start, said Sandy McGarry, Lancaster Republican Party chairwoman.

Lancaster City Council has unanimously approved a two-year contract to share jail services with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office because the cells at the Municipal Justice Center are outdated.
The contract’s annual fee will be $54,480, roughly what the city has been spending on jail services.
The agreement, approved by city council April 25, will now go to Lancaster County Council for a vote. If approved, the contract will begin July 1 and end June 30, 2019.

S.C. Rep. Tommy Pope and Rock Hill businessman Ralph Norman will meet in a May 16 runoff to determine who will represent the Republican Party in the special election for the open 5th District congressional seat.

The winner will face Democrat Archie Parnell of Sumter, along with candidates Josh Kulma (Green Party), Victor Kocher (Libertarian Party), Josh Thornton (American Party) and Bill Bledsoe (Constitution Party) in the June 20 special election to fill the remainder of Mick Mulvaney’s term in the U.S. House.

The chairman of the Lancaster County Republican Party is stepping down due a conflict of interest with his new job.
Allen Blackmon submitted his resignation to party officials Monday after he was appointed associate municipal court judge for the city of Lancaster.
The S.C. Judicial Department’s Code on Judicial Conduct bars judges from taking an active role in politics.
“With my new job, I don’t have a choice,” Blackmon said.

INDIAN LAND – A portion of Tuesday night’s 5th Congressional District forum disintegrated into a verbal free-for-all when audience members started shouting down candidates trying to answer a question about President Trump’s first 100 days in office.
The 90-minute forum at Cross Ridge was hosted by the Indian Land Action Council and moderated by school board member Melvin Stroble. It was the last multi-candidate forum scheduled before before next week’s special election primaries.

Party: Republican.
Age: 54.
Residence: York.
Family: Wife, Kim. Four children, one grandchild.
Education: Graduated from Rock Hill High School in 1980 and the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy in 1983. Received a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of South Carolina in 1984 and a USC law degree in 1987.
Employment: Attorney, Elrod Pope Law Firm. Former SLED agent and 16th Circuit solicitor. Prosecuted Susan Smith for murder in 1995 for the drowning death of her two children.